UNITED NATIONS

Israel's army dropped thousands of leaflets over war-torn Gaza City on Wednesday urging all residents to flee a heavy offensive through the main city of the besieged Palestinian territory. The leaflets, addressed to "everyone in Gaza City", set out designated escape routes and warned that the urban area would "remain a dangerous combat zone".

"Intentionally directing attacks against a protected hospital is a war crime and perpetrators must be held to account," Joyce Msuya, acting under-secretary for humanitarian affairs, told the emergency meeting.

Ukraine is set for a fiery clash with Russia at the UN Security Council Tuesday after Kyiv's allies called for an emergency meeting in the wake of deadly strikes by Moscow.

The international trading system is on the brink of fragmenting amid rising geopolitical tensions, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Wednesday, as he cautioned the world against splitting into rival blocs.

Adding Israel to the report this month is expected to intensify global attention on the country's actions during the conflict in Gaza.

Israeli forces struck the Gaza Strip on Friday, as the UN's top court ruled for an "immediate" halt the military offensive over accusations of "genocide".

The US dairy sector needs to be involved with the UN because the US is a primary dairy supplier to global markets, and the UN recommends policies that many countries adopt into national law.

More than 30,000 children have crossed the perilous Darien Gap jungle in four months on the path to a better life in the United States, a number up 40 percent from the same period last year, the UN children's agency said Wednesday.

The official emphasized the critical need for a ceasefire and a significant increase in aid delivery through both land and sea routes.

The Gaza Strip is filled with more war debris and rubble than Ukraine, the head of UN demining operations for the narrow Palestinian territory said Wednesday.

A UN probe into Israeli allegations that 19 members of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees participated in the October 7 Hamas attacks has closed one case due to the absence of any evidence from Israel and suspended four others, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Friday.

The United Nations said Wednesday it was launching a new Climate Resilience Fund aimed at boosting protections for "refugees and displaced communities" threatened by climate change.

Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan the Security Council to designate the Revolutionary Guards, the Islamic Republic's ideological army, as a terrorist organization and to "impose all possible sanctions on Iran before it's too late."

The initial ship carrying aid arrived at the shores of Gaza on March 16, and the organization has pledged to continue providing further assistance.

Guterres also visited a hospital in el-Arish, an Egyptian city that sits close to the Gaza border.

Global temperatures "smashed" heat records last year, as heatwaves stalked oceans and glaciers suffered record ice loss, the United Nations said Tuesday -- warning 2024 was likely to be even hotter.

WCK, the charity founded by celebrity chef José Andrés, released a statement that its team unloaded the aid in Gaza.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that a "backlash" against women's rights was threatening progress across the world.

The United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution Tuesday calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, while circulating its own proposal for an eventual truce as President Joe Biden comes under pressure to dial back support for Israel.

Major donors, including Israel's top ally the United States and Germany, have suspended funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, over accusations that several staff members were involved in the October 7 attack that sparked the war.

The United Nations raised the alarm on Wednesday over increasing attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, blamed by Western countries on Houthi rebels, and the risk of escalation in the region.